5 of the most lethal partnerships in Ashes history

The Ashes has, over the course of more than 120 years, thrown up more cricketing heroes than any other Test series in the history of the game. However, great feats cannot be achieved on a consistent basis without a fruitful partnership with a teammate.

For instance, a great fast bowler cannot expect to have as much success if the bowler from the other end is mediocre and helps the batsmen get easy runs.

Both bowling and batting partnerships have been legendary in the Ashes. Here is a look at five of the most effective pairs in Ashes history.

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#5 Harold Larwood-Bill Voce

The infamous 1932-33 Ashes series came to be known as the Bodyline Series thanks to Larwood and Voce. Their ability to bowl at lightning pace was put to full use by England captain Douglas Jardine.

They bowled from around the wicket at the Australian batsmen's bodies with a leg side field, and England won the series 4-1 after having lost four out of the last six Ashes.

Larwood took 33 wickets in five tests while Voce picked up 15, and their partnership terrorised the Australian batsmen into submission.

#4 Dennis Lillee-Jeff Thomson

Jeff Thomson (L) and Dennis Lillee

Former fast bowling great Dennis Lillee took 167 wickets against England in 29 Test matches, making him the second most successful Australian bowler in the Ashes. Jeff Thomson took 100 wickets in 21 Tests.

When they teamed up, they proved to be one of the deadliest fast bowling duos in Ashes history. They would continually beat England with their pace, bounce, hostility, and guile.

In the 1974-75 series in Australia, they mauled the English batsmen and produced a display that remains one of the greatest that has ever been unleashed by a fast bowling duo. In five Tests, Thomson picked up 33 wickets at an average of 17.93, while Lillee snared 25 wickets at 23.84, and England crashed to a 4-1 defeat in the six-match series.

#3 Ian Botham-Bob Willis

Ian Botham and Bob Willis

One was an all-rounder and the other was a fast bowler, but when Ian Botham and Bob Willis teamed up for England in the Ashes, they often proved to be absolutely lethal. They played together for England for around seven years and were instrumental to England's three Ashes victories out of the four played in that period.

Botham and Willis are first and second respectively among English wicket-takers in Ashes history. They formed one of the deadliest bowling combinations that Australia has ever faced.

The pair's finest hour came in the Headingley Test in the 1981 Ashes when Botham struck a superb 149 to dig England out of a hole after it had been asked to follow-on. Willis then went on to take eight wickets in Australia's fourth innings and fashioned one of the most remarkable turnarounds in Test cricket history.

#2 Sir Donald Bradman-Bill Ponsford

Donald Bradman (L) and Bill Ponsford

Sir Donald Bradman remains the most prolific batsman in the history of the Ashes. One of the batting partners with whom he combined to great effect was opening batsman Bill Ponsford, who was a run machine in his own right.

The two batsmen did not play together very long but remain one of the most successful batting partnerships in the history of the Ashes.

They batted together only six times but they piled up an astonishing 1,012 runs at an average of 168.67. Considering the numbers that they racked up in such a short span, it is perhaps just England's good luck that the duo did play together for longer.

#1 Glenn McGrath-Shane Warne

Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne

For around 13 years, one of world's greatest fast bowlers and arguably the greatest spinner combined to torment successive generations of English batsmen. They led Australia to six Ashes wins and picked up a combined 352 wickets.

McGrath's swing, seam, accuracy, and bounce coupled with Warne's leg spin tricks left most English batsmen out of their depths.

In the only series which England won during that period (in 2005), Glenn McGrath was injured and could only play in the first Test. Australia won the solitary test match in which he played, and that is perhaps an indication of the impact that the pair had on this series.